Foxx vote waiting on DOT’s reply to Thune - Lautenberg death a loss for Amtrak, safety - Who will replace him on Commerce? - T&I watch: Missouri election today

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FOXX WATCH — Commerce vote held until Thune gets answers: The Senate Commerce Committee won’t vote on Anthony Foxx’s nomination until after ranking member John Thune gets a reply from DOT about how the sequester’s cuts were implemented, Chairman Jay Rockefeller told MT. Rockefeller joked that he’s been asked about Foxx “7,000 times” but said he’ll wait to schedule a vote until Thune is happy with the reply. “But I’d like to have that wrapped up real quick. It’s in DOT’s interest to wrap it up real quick,” Rockefeller said. DOT has not said when the reply will come but has promised to answer letters from Thune and T&I Chair Bill Shuster.

TRANSPORTATION LOSES A GIANT: Amtrak and transportation safety advocates have lost one of their biggest defenders with the death of Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who succumbed to complications from viral pneumonia at 89. The New Jersey Democrat, who chaired a key Senate Commerce transpo panel, played a role in pushing through major safety improvements across most modes of transportation, touching the lives of practically every American in the process.

His accomplishments: Lautenberg’s long list of achievements includes authoring the 1984 law that set the minimum drinking age at 21, as well as landmark legislation lowering the legal blood-alcohol limit to 0.08 percent. He also had a hand in regulations to combat human fatigue and hours of service requirements for various transportation industries and has been a tireless advocate against bigger, heavier commercial trucks on the nation’s highways. He also joined in the fight to fend off the GWB administration’s attempt to privatize air traffic controllers. And Lautenberg, who was once a heavy smoker, was instrumental in enacting legislation to ban smoking on commercial airplanes. Kathryn and Scott take a transpo-specific look for Pros: http://politico.pro/17TaKGW

Possible replacement on Commerce: The next senators in line for the surface transpo and safety panel helmed by Lautenberg — Barbara Boxer, Maria Cantwell and Mark Pryor — already have other subcommittee gavels and are unlikely to switch jobs. Sen. Claire McCaskill is the early favorite but would have to leave her chairmanship of the product safety panel and a spokesman said it’s too early yet to discuss potential shuffles. Rockefeller said he has somebody in mind — “but not that I could share with you,” he told MT. MT tried to squeeze an answer out of him by noting that he had chatted with McCaskill on the walk to the Senate vote, but he didn’t bite: “See, your speculation is trying to lure me out.” You win this round, Mr. Chairman.

The Frank Lautenberg Passenger Rail Act? Rockefeller said nothing is shaking yet with the Amtrak bill due later this year but offered up this glowing review of Lautenberg: “We’ll have to call that the Lautenberg bill. He was such a champion of it.”

WHAT TO WATCH FOR TODAY: Voters in Missouri’s 8th Congressional District head to the polls today to pick a successor to former Rep. Jo Ann Emerson. The Transportation Committee still has an open Republican seat (Andy Harris left for the Appropriations seat vacated by Emerson). That T&I seat could go to the MO-8 winner, if it’s Republican Jason Smith, or might fall to Rep. Mark Sanford. A knowledgeable Hill source tells MT that “speculation is that it’s probable, but not definite” that one of the two will end up on the committee. The Republican Steering Committee has a Thursday meeting that could decide the fate of the open seat; Shuster told MT that it “hopefully” will be resolved this week.

ALSO TODAY: The Transportation Construction Coalition snags some of the top transpo names for speeches today at the group’s fly-in. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, T&I Chair Shuster, ranking member Nick Rahall and Sen. Jim Inhofe all address the TCC meeting this afternoon.

TSA FUNDING: The House tackles a DHS funding bill later this week under an open rule without a pre-printing requirements — meaning members can offer an amendment without advance notice. The White House used a Monday SAP to threaten a veto unless there’s a broader agreement on the budget and dealing with the sequester, but the statement includes this nugget on TSA passenger fees: “The Administration objects to the bill’s failure to reform the aviation passenger fee as proposed in the President’s FY 2014 Budget.” David Rogers has the big picture: http://politi.co/ZpSGy8

DENHAM’S RAIL WORK GAINS STEAM: Rep. Jeff Denham is picking up steam in his work on rail issues ahead of an Amtrak reauthorization that’s due this October. The Republican chair of the railroads panel will hold a Monday roundtable on “ongoing efforts to improve the region’s passenger and rail transportation congestion.” The roundtable in Chicago will focus on the CREATE program that aims to cut rail congestion in the region. It comes just three days after a field hearing in New York on the Northeast Corridor, scheduled for this Friday. Keep your eyes peeled for an announcement on yet another roundtable expected to come out today.

MOVING ON: Mischa Fisher, legislative assistant for former T&Ier Randy Hultgren, will be leaving the Hill in the coming weeks to head back to Canada to attend grad school. Fisher, who was a fun and helpful source in MT’s work on the transportation bill last year, will be missed. “Safe and efficient transportation of both goods and people is the critical building block of our economy. Fighting for smart investments in infrastructure with members and staff on both sides of the aisle has been an honor and privilege,” he wrote to MT.

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STARTING TODAY — Roadcheck: The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance kicks off its 72-hour enforcement and outreach campaign today. It involves extra inspections and this year, the 26th annual Roadcheck will have an extra focus on buses. More info: http://bit.ly/19CDl1q

MT POLL — Banning distracted driving: Will Congress ever pass a nationwide ban on distracted driving like LaHood wants? Or will automakers and technology that locks down devices in motion beat lawmakers to the punch? Maybe nothing will change for years? Let us know before Sunday at noon — just don’t do it while driving: http://bit.ly/ZnnEHt

‘TOTALITARIAN’ BIKESHARE: We’ve gotten a lot of reactions to New York’s new Citi Bike program — most of it good but some bad. Just over a week into the bike-share system, MT is confident in crowning its biggest hater: Wall Street Journal editorial board member Dorothy Rabinowitz. Here’s some select words she used to describe the system: totalitarian, dreadful, ideology-maddened and autocratic. In a WSJ video, she also said the stations “absolutely begrime” the “finest, most picturesque parts of the city” and that “privileged” bicyclists are the “most important danger to the city.” The kicker? She said “the bike lobby is an all-powerful enterprise.” Give it a watch — or don’t if you’re a bike supporter who’s easily angered: http://on.wsj.com/1aMWag8

Twitter reaction: @BikeSnobNYC: “In 1895 a churl on a pennyfarthing nearly ran me over and I still haven't goten [sic] over it.” --Dorothy Rabinowitz http://bit.ly/18JIP9o

THE AUTOBAHN (SPEED READ)

- The new American Airlines plans to announce leadership team by mid-June, US Airways Doug Parker will be in charge. Bloomberg: http://bloom.bg/12pR4sg

THE COUNTDOWN: It’s been 37 days since President Obama announced the nomination of Anthony Foxx as transportation secretary. DOT funding and passenger rail policy both run out in 119 days. Surface transportation policy is up in 487 days and FAA policy in 849 days. The mid-term elections are in 518 days.

CABOOSE — Night train: With Burgess out of the way, expect to see a lot more old-timey maps and pictures of trains, planes, roads and cars. So here’s an amazing 1943 black-and-white shot of a freight train leaving the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad yard — the high contrast makes it one of the prettiest transpo pictures MT has ever laid eyes upon. Shorpy delivers again: http://bit.ly/19CX0ys

Have a better idea? MT loves the funny and entertaining side of transportation. If you’re sick of the old pictures, drop me a line with a good caboose and you just might make your friends jealous with a shout-out in your favorite transportation newsletter.

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